What Microsoft Can Learn from Apple

That site includes a PDF document, "Windows Phone 7
Application Certification Requirements," that breaks down Microsoft's content
policies when it comes to mobile applications. Nothing banned by that paper
seems terribly surprising; in addition to forbidding apps that are libelous,
slanderous, threatening or discriminatory, Microsoft also bans apps that
somehow promote hate speech or the use of illegal drugs and excessive alcohol
consumption.
Under the "Adult Related Content" section, the inevitable
bans are likewise placed on nudity and violence, including "People or creatures
on fire." Interestingly, other applications storefronts-including the App Store-feature
several popular games with splattery, fiery content; whether Microsoft will be
more lax in admitting violence in that context into its own ecosystem remains
to be seen, although being too stringent risks alienating certain popular
developers.

But if Windows Phone 7 proves popular, it could create a
situation for Microsoft similar to that confronting Apple. With its own heady
success in the consumer space, Apple has seen its App Store expand rapidly,
with research firm IDC predicting some 300,000 apps available through the
online storefront by the end of 2011-but that has also brought pressure on
Apple to better regulate and police its content.

In February, several third-party developers found their
explicit apps banned from the store. According to a Feb. 18 report on
TechCrunch, developer Jon Atherton received an e-mail signed by "iPhone App
Review" stating that one of his applications contained "Content that we had
originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently
received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and
have changed our guidelines appropriately."
In a Feb. 22
article in The New York Times, Apple's head of worldwide product marketing
Philip Schiller confirmed that the company had been receiving complaints from
some groups who found content "getting too degrading and objectionable" and
decided to pull those apps from the store. At the same time, however, Apple
allowed adult-themed apps from established entities such as Sports Illustrated
to remain in the App Store.
At the time, Apple justified its actions via a clause in the
iPhone SDK agreement, which states, "Applications must not contain any obscene,
pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind."
But it also caused a minor furor among developers, who
questioned the consistency of Apple's policies and bans on certain
applications. That history suggests the potential minefields that exist for
Microsoft as it gears up its own app-policing apparatus. While Watson made a
nod in the blog post to transparency-something that third-party developers
accused Apple of lacking-the true test will come when Microsoft finds itself
confronted with apps that fall into a potential gray area, such as when
Apple rejected a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist's app from the App Store for
satirizing political figures, found itself slapped by protests, and then
had to ask that the app be submitted.
The time for such decisions could be fast approaching. In a
June 8 posting on his personal blog, "Many Niches," Watson reported that Microsoft will
"start putting phones into select developers' hands next month," particularly
those who have invested in Silverlight and .NET platforms, registered at
Windows Phone Marketplace and begun their app-building process. Windows Phone 7 devices are scheduled
to roll out to the general public at an as-yet-unannounced date near the end of
2010.

Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.